Cool Stopper: Top Taurus Aims to End the Era of Braking Bad

Ford has something to prove with its 2013 Taurus SHO: that it listens to us lead-footed car critics. Since its introduction (and that of its Lincoln sister, the MKS EcoBoost), we have been carping about the brakes, which felt squishy and were poorly matched to the rip-snorting twin-turbo engine whose ample thrust they were designed to reverse. The symptom: severe fade when driven in a manner the rest of the car seemed to provoke. Well, listen Ford did, and this year we get a larger master cylinder, revised booster tuning and pedal ratio (less travel), bigger front rotors, and newly vented rear discs that combine to provide 19 percent more thermal mass (read: fade resistance) and 67 percent more swept area.

The SHO's brakes were co-developed with those for the new Taurus police package, and they're shared with the Flex. The front rotors are of an "inverted-hat" design (see photo), and they weigh 11 pounds more than the ones they replace. That's actually the point--increase thermal mass so the rotors take the heat while the pads (and hence brake fluid) stay cool. Note that they are not cross-drilled--that just removes thermal mass. To tune for this added weight, the lateral bushing compliance in the front suspension was reduced by 30 percent, improving overall turn-in responsiveness.

Nothing much has changed in the powertrain department (nothing needed to), but another alleged dynamic enhancement is an electronic torque-vectoring system, wherein light brake pressure on an inside wheel during acceleration out of a curve is meant to shunt some torque through the open differential to the outside wheel. Of course, some torque also gets burned off as heat, which always strikes us as a bad idea.

To make the SHO with better brakes easier to identify from the outside, the 2013 model gets a new black-mesh grille that's trapezoidal to better match the new One Ford look.

The SHO Performance Package costs $1000 more this year ($1995), but truly makes the SHO a track star. For starters, there's an impressive police package cooling system that includes a 32mm radiator (up from 26), plus engine-oil and transmission coolers and cooling for the all-wheel-drive power-transfer unit case. That extra grand also buys a pricey new Alcantara steering wheel, and the brake calipers get cross-drilled stainless-steel pistons to keep them cool. As before, the package includes high-performance brake pads, stiffer shocks and springs, 20-inch wheels and summer tires, shorter axle ratio, and stability control with a "true off" track mode (and new calibration for 2013). Sadly, due to the wet and snowy weather forecast for our Pacific northwest test route, our test cars were standard SHOs.At the very first opportunity, we floored the accelerator out of a few turns in an attempt to assess this torque-vectoring concept, but it proved to be utterly undetectable unless the inside tire has broken loose. "Didn't we used to call that traction control?" I ask integration engineer Mike Interian, who explains that the brake and engine-torque control strategies are quite different between simple TCL and torque vectoring. (Not as different as Acura's, I muse.) None of the helpful information screens illustrates this torque allocation, making it far less fun than Acura's SH-AWD.

On one particularly tortuous stretch of road near the Oregon coast we gave the chassis a jolly good rodgering. The brake pedal stayed nice and firm, with no signs of fade or vibration. The only odd sensation was a speed-dependent moaning when they were hot. This was chalked up to development pads lacking a late design change to their shape. Steering feel was remarkable for an electric unit, transmitting rumbles and vibrations corresponding to the road surface, but no info on changing grip levels. We're told that the 2013 SHO with the Performance Package can now withstand 30-plus hot laps at Michigan's Grattan Raceway, and based on our limited wet-weather drive, we are inclined to believe it.The price for all these improvements increases just $1045 ($2045 for the avid Motor Trend reader who can't resist the Performance Package), and while we doubt many of you will consider club-racing your '13 SHO, it's a comfort knowing that you safely could.

Beautiful car, and scanning a the owner forums, this car is proving itself reliable after 6 years in production. There seems to be no common failures or overall issues.

The resale is still holding around 50% of MSRP which is awesome for a car that's been out for 6 years. (2010's were first sold in the Spring of 2009).

And now that the tuner folks have started modifying them, you can tune one for $600 and get near 420HP and 0-60 times of 4.2. So, for a 5 year old car purchased around $22k, you can still hang with most new $60-$80k cars sold today.

I have owned a Chevy, Ford, Mercury, Dodge, Oldsmobile,Pontiac, I'm sure I've forgot a couple. Each one has it's good points and bad. I have friends that have owned Toyotas and Hondas and had problems with them. I worked at an assembly plant for Ford motor company for 30 years and assembled 100;s of thousands of cars and are going to run in to problems. some times vendors ship defective parts, not Fords fault. Vendor defects that get blamed on Ford. Look at all the recalls Toyota and Honda have had. No manufacturer is perfect 100% of the time.

I just purchased a used (new) 34000 miles SHO with every option for $28000. What a car! In my opinion a great looking car,it;s quiet. roomy, Sony stereo or surround sounds great and oh yea it's FAST! So to all you dumb dummies that don't own one go back to your bedroom at your Mom and Dads house or basement fire up your x box and write about what you know, comic books and video games.

I wonder how many of these naysaying mooks have ever driven a current-generation SHO, let alone owned one - let alone driven a '13.It's a phenomenal car - and even better value for money. Unless, or course, you do most of your driving on XBOX.

I'm sorry to be the fly in the ointment but some of you are too fooled by gadgets and ECB. At the end of the day, this is the antithesis of a driver's car not to mention that from the front doors back, the car is hideous. Next time you see the Taurus, pay attention to the cars it's around. It's rear end is MASSIVE and it has the ground clearance of many SUVs. And this is suppose to be a performance car? Come on. I know the chic thing to do is praise EVERYTHING Ford makes but as an objective observer, this is a decent car with some major flaws. Major. Meanwhile, its hype is like that of some super car. Look, Ford is doing well with it's lineup. But let's not act like this isn't a mediocre vehicle with a big engine and some gadgets. Dynamically its pretty bad.

The short wheelbase on this and the Explorer (less than 113") makes for a cramped interior, but that's the only criticism I've read. It does have one thing full-sized....a huge trunk. I drove a non-EcoBoost model and found it handled nicely, not too big, but would only consider the V6 EcoBoost...which is now going in the Explorer too for 2013.

i think the taurus is a nice looking car, inside and out . I also think the taurus sho and charger rt would be a good comparo, there similar in size and weight, just have to totally different powertrains, which makes this even more interesting. to make this a three way what does chevy have, do they still got the impala ss.

The best thing about this car is the interior design of the cockpit. Just like the Ford Explorer's, it's so damn cool looking (can't believe I just said that about a Ford!!) What was Ford thinking when designing the rear lights? Were they so tired it came to, "lets just throw on some square lights..that's good enough." Just makes the car look so plain. The front is the same design as the new Fusion, right? Pictures of the Fusion's cockpit look almost identical!!! The only way you will be able to tell the cars apart is from the rear. Which Ford has done an amazing job on the new Fusion. I am still shocked that I actually like the new designs from Ford.

heh...a few of these comments remind me of the "old" guy at work. I asked him why he bought a new Toyota truck and he said "I got burned by two Chevy's in the late 70's...never owned a Chevy since".Ok, I reminded him that my Toyota in the 80's had a rust hole that I could fit my fist through, he said "Yeah, but they've improved since then".We all have our "winners"...and can find ways to justify them.

The only BMW this size is the 5 series And that tips two tons as well. Any full sized sedan as well as most larger mid sizers, not the toys like Camry and Accord.The BMW 3rd 328 loaded hits $50k.The Taurus falls short in my eyes to Chyrsler's 300 and Charger. I own a 2005 Magnum with over 130,000 miles and has been completely reliable, much more so than the two Acura TLs and Nissan Pathfinder.The Taurus gets no better fuel economy than the Charger or 300 even for all the hype.Go test drive them like I did before we bought our two late last year. I decided against the Taurus and bought the Charger and 300 and I own Ford stock.

The only BMW this size is the 5 series And that tips two tons as well. Any full sized sedan as well as most larger mid sizers, not the toys like Camry and Accord.The BMW 3rd 328 loaded hits $50k.The Taurus falls short in my eyes to Chyrsler's 300 and Charger. I own a 2005 Magnum with over 130,000 miles and has been completely reliable, much more so than the two Acura TLs and Nissan Pathfinder.The Taurus gets no better fuel economy than the Charger or 300 even for all the hype.Go test drive them like I did before we bought our two late last year. I decided against the Taurus and bought the Charger and 300 and I own Ford stock.

This new SHO is a good car, but 4350 lbs? That's over 2 tons! And 40 grand base price? Huh? That's Bimmer money! Why would anyone in their right mind buy a SHO? Yeah, it's got some nice decent power (365 bhp) but this poor thing has to pull over 2 tons. FAIL.

The Taurus is just plain ugly. Not to mention it is no more than a Ford 500 with modified sheet metal.A 2012 Camry SE V6 is so much more desirable than the Taurus. And, it offers superior performance. A Ford Taurus screams "TRAILER TRASH".

The H. Genesis? I saw people mentioning it on Car and Driver threads as well, lauding it. I just don't get it. It looks like a generic, Merc wannabe from 10 years ago. Don't get me wrong, it's a great car even with the 3.8 six, but please don't compare it to the SHO. What I like about Ford is that they are currently exploring top-end technologies and really incorporating European performance into their cars, even the Ford Focus. I had a Ford Focus rental for a week, and was blown away by its handling, braking and overall solidity.

I have to agree with SHOGen3 in reference to Ford vehicles' reliability. The two most reliable vehicles I have had were both Fords, a Crown Vic and a Mustang. Someone in this thread mentioned a lemon SHO they owned, and that they would never own another Ford; well that is pure ignorance speaking. Every auto company has a few duds here and there, one cannot make an ignorant statement based upon an experience with one car. I love my Dodge Ram, but my next car will probably be a Ford Focus or Mustang, purely because I trust their products. As far as the new SHO, it's definitely a "A beautifully sophisticated high tech machine", like Peter888 quoted. Not my fav design, but it's classy and fast. I'm still a sucker for the new Chrysler 300, though, especially the SRT8.

Did someone even mention the Genesis OO#Its exterior and interior looking like design of yester years.....Does it give the front passengers massages? Does it look for space and parallel park by itself? etc etc.This Taurus does ~~And for someone who want to save gas, choose the 2.0L I4 EcoBoost which give you up to 32mpg for a full size sedan.